When You Need Me the Most
by Stalker Fudge
Summary: Skate. SawyerKate. Takes place after 'What Kate Did'. After all Kate's done for Sawyer, he's started to push her away. How will Sawyer react when something horrible happens to Kate?
1. Kate's Confession

Hey. I am currently writing this story at (I got the main idea from a thread there called Skate Writin' Requests.)

It's slow getting to the main problem, but there is a reason for that because a lot needs to be said before I can write what I want to be written.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

---

Kate clutched her left hand tightly to her chest and walked, tears in her eyes. She hated crying. She took a shaky breath and looked over to Sawyer's tent. He was sitting there, reading his letter again. She hadn't seen him with it since he had left. She looked at the letter, thinking of the irony of the moment. The look on Sawyer's face was one of a man who felt he was alone. The look of someone who believed no one could ever understand them. Kate sighed.

"I understand you Sawyer… better then you think." She crossed her arms and walked slowly over to where he was. Sawyer folded up the paper and put it in his pocket. He looked up to see Kate and shot her a forced smile, he knew she'd seen.

"Morning Freckles, what brings you over here?" Kate smiled and slightly shook her head, trying to push away all her emotions.

"Guess I just felt like I wanted to be insulted and disgusted again." Kate smiled and looked out at the water. Sawyer smiled, knowing she couldn't see him looking at her. She hadn't left his side for more then an hour since he woke up. She was even sleeping under his tarp so she could, 'keep an eye on him'.

Not that he was complaining.

"What you got there Freckles?" Sawyer pointed to the object Kate was clutching tightly in her left hand. She looked down at it and smiled sadly.

"Just found it by my stuff. Apparently someone hasn't forgiven me for…" Kate paused. She didn't want to say it. Sawyer understood right away.

"Someone got into your stuff and destroyed something of yours?" Kate nodded.

"Don't worry about it… it's not like it was a big… it was… it wasn't… it's nothing." Sawyer shook his head.

"That ain't the face of someone who just lost something that was nothing to em Kate." Kate looked up. The way he had said her name just then, he really did care that it was something important to her. She couldn't remember the last time he'd called her Kate. She sighed, actually, she couldn't remember him ever calling her Kate.

"It's fine Sawyer. It needed to be destroyed anyway." She looked at the ground. "And I definitely wouldn't have done it myself…" He searched her face and saw how much pain she was in. He hesitantly reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You wanna talk about it?" Kate shook her head.

"No. Not now." He nodded. He wasn't going to push her. He smiled and looked out towards the water.

---

Sawyer opened his eyes. He could see that it was dark out. A quick survey of the beach let him be assured that everyone else was asleep. He knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. He looked down beside him, but Kate wasn't there. He shook his head. She must have decided that he was fine by himself. He wanted to shoot himself all over again for feeling disappointed that she wasn't there.

"What are you doing up?" Sawyer turned to see Kate walking towards him. Her eyes were red and she had her hand clutched around the object again.

"Couldn't sleep." He nodded towards her hand. "That's the thing isn't it? The one that someone destroyed." Kate nodded. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to throw it into the water. Get rid of it… but… I just can't Sawyer." Sawyer lowered his eyes. He knew it was his fault that it was destroyed. He had, after all, exposed her as a criminal. And he hated himself more then he usually did because he couldn't bring himself to say sorry.

Kate watched Sawyer closely, before looking around, making sure no one was awake. She knew neither of them would be going back to sleep anytime soon. She silently walked over and sat down on the edge of Sawyer's makeshift bed, where he had subconsciously moved back so she could sit.

She looked around, the feel of the sand on her bare feet and the wind caressing her face and arms made her glad Sawyer had decided to go back to the beach rather then stay in the hatch. She took a deep breath and turned to Sawyer. He held his hand out, no words were needed between the two. They knew what was happening.

Kate gingerly placed the object in her hand into Sawyer's own hand and pulled hers away. He broke her gaze and looked down at it. He ran his fingers across the small object.

Sawyer now held Kate's toy airplane in his hand. The wings had been broken off and the body of it had been crunched together.

"Kate…" Kate looked away.

"The plane… do you still want to hear my story?" Sawyer sat up, then waited until Kate looked up at him. Their eyes met and she knew she had his attention. "The plane belonged to the man I… the man I loved." Kate's eyes fell and took a few deep breaths before looking back up at Sawyer. "His name was Tom…" Sawyer looked down.

"He… he was a… doctor…" Sawyer's head snapped up to see the look in her eyes.

"Knew you had a thing for doctors…" Kate looked up at him, obviously hurt by the comment. He looked down. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her more pain. He bit his lip and looked back at Kate, who took it as a signal to go on.

"The plane… I took it to remind me of what I'd done." She felt her lip quiver and she looked down at the plane, still in Sawyer's hand. "I took the plane the day that I killed him." Sawyer clutched the blanket in his hand, but his face didn't betray him.

"What happened?" Kate bit her lip.

"He was shot by a cop." Sawyer nodded, though he was completely confused. "I was driving and he was in the passenger seat. He told me to turn myself in but… I drove straight through and ignored the shots. When the car stopped, I looked over and noticed that he… he was gone…" Kate broke off. Her eyes were glued to the plane. Sawyer didn't move. His eyes fell to his pocket, where his letter was gently folded up. Kate took a sharp intake of breath, and Sawyer looked up to see her slide down onto the sand and bury her head in her hands.

Sawyer just sat there, watching her cry. He couldn't bring himself to bring her closer to himself. He couldn't even think of any words to say. He felt the urge to get up and run away, to be as far away from her as possible. He closed his hand tightly and clenched his jaw.

It's not like it was the first time he'd felt this way about her. He'd felt the same urge, the same need to get away from her when he'd figured out that she had been the criminal on the plane. Only this time, he didn't have a raft to run away from her on.

---

How was that? Please RnR.


	2. Wake up in Another World

Next chapter up. Thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

--

Kate's eyes fluttered open. She looked around to get a grip back on reality. Slowly, memories of the night before rushed through her mind. She remembered spilling her guts to Sawyer and falling down crying. She hated herself. So many secrets and she told the one guy who had proven to be incapable of keeping things like that to himself. What if she made him mad again? It wasn't that hard to do. He could easily tell everyone what he'd learned.

"Well I least I left Wayne out of it."

"I feel like I've said this before but…" Kate froze. "Who the hell's Wayne?" Kate felt Sawyer's eyes burning into the back of her head.

"Where were you?" Sawyer sighed and grunted.

"Ain't none of your damn business where I am now is it Freckles?" Kate closed her eyes.

"You shouldn't be going anywhere without letting someone know. You aren't well…"

"You don't tell me what to do Katherine." Hearing her name from him, especially in that tone of voice made her feel like a sword of fire had been thrust into her ice cold heart.

"Sawyer…"

"And you aren't the only other person on this island you know!" His temper was flailing as his face got dark. "For your information, sweetheart, I told Mike boy this morning where I was going."

"You told Michael?" Sawyer nodded slowly to add the emphasis.

"Didn't matter much anyways, I can take care of myself."

"Sawyer… I didn't…"

"Fact, I think I'm gonna be taking off for awhile." Kate stood up.

"You should really…"

"Don't wait up." With that Sawyer walked away, fuming.

---

When Sawyer got into the jungle, he was satisfied that Kate didn't try to follow him, but also little upset that she hadn't. He sat down on a tree stump and sighed.

"Great move James! She spills her heart to you and you act as if she killed your brother!"

"James, huh? I would have thought you were more of a Evan." Sawyer turned around to see Charlie walking towards him.

"Damn." He stood up, trying to strike fear into the fallen rocker's heart. "Look, you tell anyone that you heard that and…" Charlie smiled and sat down on a log across from the tree stump. "Relax. It'll be our little secret… James." Sawyer growled and kicked the log out from under Charlie.

"Never call me that again! You hear me boy?" Charlie pulled himself up.

"Whatever." Sawyer balled his hands into fists as Charlie turned around and walked further back into the jungle from whence he had come. Sawyer sat back down and despite himself, was grateful he had something else to dwell on now.

---

Kate walked the beach angry. She couldn't believe he was treating her so horribly. She had not expected him to get all soft and walk on eggshells around her, but she had, or at least a part of her had, expected him, of all people to understand.

He must've known how hard it had been for her to get the guts to tell him. He must have understood that it killed her to have to one to talk to.

"Maybe that is it. Maybe he thinks that what happened last night will be a reoccurring thing. Maybe he thinks I'll become all weepy and clingy…" But didn't he know her better then that?

"Hey Kate." Kate turned to see Claire walking up to her, baby Aaron in her arms.

"Oh hey."

"I don't want to bother you but…" Kate crossed her arms over her chest.

"What is it? You aren't a bother." Claire shook her head.

"You look busy. I'll find someone else to…" Kate shook her head.

"No, I'm not doing anything. I could use something to do to keep my mind off things. What is it you need?"

--

What do you think? Please RnR.


	3. Charlie & Jack Problems

Hey. Here's another chapter. When I posted the last chapter I already had this one done, and now I have chapter 4 done. So the quicker I get reviews, the quicker chapter4 will be up. laughs maniacally.

BEFORE YOU READ: I just want you to know that I do in fact like Charlie. He is just unfortuanately the perfect character for this chapter...

A couple advertisments before the story:

1) I don't know if you lost fans have all been there, but it's (in my opinion) a site that is amazing (Forum actually.) It's: it is amazing! (I suggest joining if you don't have an account.) (I'm Fugitive.)

2) I created a Lost RPG forumusingthe New Forums feature on this site. So if you're interested at all: go ahead. check it out...

Fianlly: Disclaimer: I don't own Lost... yada yada yada...

---

"Just you and me right now little guy. I don't know where Sawyer is." Kate sat on Sawyer's makeshift bed. She sighed and smiled down at the little baby in her arms. Claire had told her she hadn't slept well the night before and she had just had a feeling Kate was the one to ask. She didn't know why, but she just knew that Kate needed it. And she likewise knew that she needed her sleep.

Aaron cooed in Kate's arms and reached out his hands to wrap around her finger.

"Oh Aaron…" Kate sighed. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to feel this way. I know Sawyer's not the type to share his feelings, but I wish I knew more about him. I don't want to feel like I need him around me all the time. I don't want him to have this much power over me…" Her words hung in the air. In her mind she added; 'I don't want to love him anymore.'

Aaron once again cooed. She looked down at the baby and smiled.

"You're a great listener."

"What did he do?" Kate spun around and noticed for the first time that Charlie was standing there.

"What? How long have you… what did you…"

"Everything Kate… I heard everything." Kate tried to think of a way to backtrack it. "I saw him you know… in the jungle." Kate's eyes widened.

"Is he ok?" Charlie nodded. He smiled to himself, noticing that she forgot to try to cover up what he'd overheard.

"He was fine. Not in a very good mood though." Kate sighed and looked down at Aaron.

"I knew that much."

"What did he do Kate?" Kate looked up.

"It was nothing Charlie." Noticing that Aaron had fallen asleep, Kate placed him in the Rocker, which Claire had insisted she bring over, just in case.

"Kate…"

"Would you just drop it?" Charlie shook his head.

"Don't you tell me to drop it! I asked you a bloody question!" Kate looked taken back a bit.

"Lower your voice Charlie. You'll wake the baby." Charlie grabbed Kate's arms and pulled her closer so she could hear him while he spoke.

"Kate… I'm not going to ask you again…" Kate couldn't help but start to struggle against him. Tears started streaking down her cheeks and she kept shaking her head.

"Why… why does it matter so much… to you?" Charlie shook his head and twisted her arm behind her back.

"Don't you sodding tell me what I can and can't do… you made me this way! You bloody well made me this way!" Kate pulled frantically, trying to get away from him. He was terrifying her. His tone of voice sounded evil, hurt, and almost possessed. Aaron awoke and began to cry. Charlie pushed Kate to the ground, causing her to knock her head hard against the edge of the bed. Blood rushed to the now open-wound right away.

"What the hell? What do you think you're doing boy?" Charlie turned, eyes of fire, not his own, to a very vengeful Sawyer.

"It was a simple question…" Kate put her hand to her head and held it tightly. She looked over and realized that there weren't many people at the beach, and the five or six that were there had migrated to a spot near them. She saw Claire running towards the scene, apparently just jerked out of a deep sleep.

"Well then… here's your simple answer!" Sawyer rushed forward and pushed Charlie onto the ground, barely missing the cradle. Kate got on her hands and knees and crawled over, grabbing Aaron in her arms. Shakely, she stood up and rushed to the crowd, where Claire was waiting with open arms for her son.

After handing Aaron over, Kate fell to her knees. Claire bent over, everyone else was watching the fight.

"What happened Kate?" Kate looked up.

"I was talking to Aaron… and Charlie came up. He kept asking me a question… just a stupid question that makes no difference weather he knew the answer or not… it was between someone else and me…" Kate looked down, catching her bearings and trying to stop the world's quickened spinning.

"Alright…" Claire nodded, waiting for Kate to go on.

"When I wouldn't tell him… and I put Aaron in the cradle… he… he attacked me. When he pushed me… I… my head…." Kate pressed her hand tight against the wound. "Then Sawyer came and…" Kate nodded to the scene in front of them. Claire nodded.

"Alright…" She sighed and stood up. "Do you think you can make it to that tree?" Kate looked up at a tree, a couple feet away.

"I think so…" Claire smiled.

"Ok, go lean against it, do not fall asleep!" Kate looked into Claire's eyes. Claire held Aaron tightly to herself. "I'm going to go get Jack. Kate sighed and nodded. Claire clutched Aaron to her chest as she ran towards the caves.

---

Jack pressed the cloth to Kate's head. He sighed as he stood up.

"That should stop the bleeding." Sawyer was sitting in the corner, as Kate lay on his makeshift bed. "Don't go to sleep yet though ok?" Kate nodded. "Do you need me to stay to…" Kate looked at Sawyer.

"Uh… no. I um… kinda need to talk to Sawyer right now Jack. There are a couple of things that need to be said. Jack turned towards the other man. He was bruised in a couple spots and he held his arm tightly to himself. He looked back at Kate. "He just attacked Charlie… are you sure…"

"He was protecting me Jack." Sawyer seethed at the way Jack was acting as if he weren't just a few feet away from them.

"He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He wasn't…"

"He saw what Charlie did, and he acted. I'm grateful for that. I'm sorry Charlie was hurt but… I'm glad Sawyer did what he did." Kate glared into Jack's eyes. She felt sorry for speaking so rashly to him, but she hated it when he talked down about Sawyer. Especially after what Sawyer had just done for her.

Jack nodded silently.

"I just… I worry about you." Kate looked down.

"Well don't. I can take care of myself. Unfortunately, I do it a little too much." Kate looked back into Jack's eyes. Jack sighed.

"Kate… you don't have to kill yourself over what you did. It doesn't have to be like this. You're a different person. You…"

"No! No I'm not a different person Jack! I'm Kate Austin! No one else! I'm a fugitive, a manipulator, and a traitor." Jack took a shaky breath.

"You don't have to accept that. I've seen…"

"Don't Jack." Kate shook her head and was suddenly made aware of how close Sawyer was watching them. "It's my future. You can't change it. You can't fix the past Jack." Jack's eyes clouded over. "It just doesn't work that way." Jack's eyes burned into Kate's for what seemed like an eternity.

"Ok then." He walked away stiffly. And Kate did all she could not to call out to him. She didn't need him right now. She needed to be alone with Sawyer.

"Gee wiz Freckles. Didn't know ya had it in ya…" Kate looked up and Sawyer and Sawyer got that feeling in the pit of his stomach again. Stronger this time. He wanted to run, but he was calmer now. He needed to stay and make sure she was fine. Kate sighed and pulled herself off the bed. She teetered a bit and Sawyer instinctively stood up and wrapped his free arm around her. "Whoa there girl. What do you think you're doing?" Kate reached over and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder unsteadily.

"We need to talk." Sawyer shook his head.

"You wanna talk about the weather? Go ahead. You wanna talk about cars? Go ahead. You wanna talk about that freaky bunker thing? Be my guest…" Sawyer paused. "Else we ain't got nothing to talk about." Kate sighed.

"Sawyer… please." Their eyes met and even Sawyer couldn't fight the bond between them. He nodded and started walking towards the jungle, his one-armed embrace keeping her on her feet.

Then, they disappeared into the jungle of mystery, in search of some answers they were both terrified to know.

---

There's chapter 3. Remember to please RnR. (and check out the sites in my ads.) ;)


	4. Jungle Storm

Ok, here's chapter 4. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

---

Sawyer looked up into Kate's eyes. She felt his gaze piercing through her. She looked back down at the ground.

"We've been out here almost all night. And… I still haven't thanked you." Sawyer shook his head.

"What you said to the Doc, Freckles… that was plenty thanks for me." Kate smiled. Sawyer was glad he had let her drag him out in the middle of the jungle. He could never admit it to anyone else, but being without her killed him.

At the same time, he couldn't deny to himself that being with her hurt him almost as much.

"Yeah well… don't get used to stuff like that. That was a once in a lifetime shove off." Sawyer chuckled and shot Kate a hungry glance.

"Ya'know Freckles… we're out here… all alone. Middle of the jungle… no one would hear your screams of pleasure." Kate rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Don't ruin it Sawyer. For once I thought you could act normal." Sawyer smiled.

"Didn't wanna ruin my reputation as the island pig." Sawyer smiled. Kate smiled and looked at the ground. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He kept going and wasn't confined by the rules of modesty. That was one of her favorite traits about him. Kate sighed and suddenly groaned as realization hit her. "What is it?" Sawyer leaned forward, looking more concerned then he meant to.

"The air is getting heavier." Sawyer raised an eyebrow.

"And…?"

"And that means it'll rain soon." Kate crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll never get back to the beach on time." Sawyer looked around and saw Kate's bag sitting against a tree. He smiled.

"You got anything in there?" Kate stood up and got the bag. Her head still hurt. She sat down beside Sawyer, grabbing his hand for balance while sitting down. She put down the bag and just looked at it for a second. As she unzipped the bag with one hand, Sawyer held onto it.

Neither one had thought about releasing each other's hand.

"Uh… bandages… a bottle of water… some peroxide… and a couple towels." Sawyer looked at her in suspicion. "What?"

"Towels?" Kate sighed. She pulled out 2 larger towels and threw them at Sawyer.

"Get as far under that tree as you can." Sawyer turned to see a tree that's roots were suspended, arching like a tent. He looked confused.

"How?" Kate shook her head.

"The soil has been dug. Never mind that though… just get under." Sawyer growled at being told what to do again, but he listened and slid under the roots. Kate draped the towels over the roots so they would absorb some and allow some to run off. She knew that it'd still be wet, but it would do. Kate sighed and took off her overshirt, throwing it and the bag at Sawyer.

"What the hell you doing girl?" Kate shook her head. Thunder rolled and the rain began to pour down. Kate looked up.

"It looks like it'll just be one of those flash flood kind of rain. It won't last more then 15… 20 minutes." Sawyer shook his head.

"You can't be serious."

"You stay here, I'm going to be right back." Sawyer shook his head.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Kate sighed.

"You remember that fork in the jungle we took?" Sawyer nodded. He faintly remembered. "Well I need to go back to that huge rock we found and move it to the far side of that path so our trail doesn't get washed away and we get stranded."

"Oh yeah, cuz it'd be such bad company." Kate shook her head.

"Later Sawyer, right now I have to go tend to that rock." Sawyer started to lean forward.

"Let me do it Freckles. You…"

"How are you gonna move the rock with that arm?" Sawyer looked down at his arm. He rolled his eyes and clenched his teeth. He knew Kate was right, so he sat back and sulked.

"Fine." Kate began to run off. Sawyer felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Kate…" Kate stopped in her tracks. His voice sounded pained, needing even. And he was killing her with all this, 'Kate' business.

"Yeah?" Sawyer's eyes were unreadable. He looked horrified.

"Be careful." Kate took a deep breath, but she couldn't seem to let it out. The moment was heavy and meaningful. She reminded herself that she needed to find it again amongst his layers when she got back from her task. She couldn't speak so she just nodded. Turning around Sawyer closed his eyes and leaned against the tree.

--

Sawyer heard voices coming at him, voices all around him. His eyes snapped open and he looked all around. He heard them again. The whispers. The rain had stopped and the sunlight was reaching out to touch the tips of the trees.

"All night? Been out here all night?" He looked around, noticing how nothing had been moved.

She hadn't come back.

"No…" Sawyer stumbled out from under the roots and spun around, searching for a sign of her. "Kate!" He turned around, placing his hands around his mouth to amplify his words. "Kate! Kate!"

---

Alright, Please RnR.


	5. Pure Need

Hey, here's the next chapter. Hope y'all enjoy it. Thanks for all the reviews guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

---

Sawyer ran as fast as he could. His legs pulsated and ached from the sudden movements after a long night of being crumpled under the tree.

"Kate! Kate!" His voice was hoarse and cracked as he screamed her name. He stopped, straining his ears to listen. He had heard a noise.

"He's strong."

"He's looking for her."

"He seems like he really cares." Sawyer started to breathe harder.

"The whispers." Sawyer clenched his fists and looked all around him. He could tell by the clarity of their words that they were close by.

"Maybe it's over. Maybe he is ready."

"We'll see." Sawyer spun around.

"Maybe we can…"

"No. There is no turning back." Sawyer closed his eyes. Then, the whispers went silent.

"You're going crazy man. Absolutely crazy." He saw something beside the trail a little way up. All thoughts of the whispers faded away. "Kate!" He ran ahead and kneeled down by the body. He turned it over, proving what he'd already known. It was Kate, and she wasn't awake.

Sawyer's fear began to grow even more and he shook her gently, trying to control himself.

"Kate?" When her eyes didn't open and no response was made, he shook her a little harder. "Kate?" Still no response, he began to shake her harder, almost violently. "Kate! Wake up girl!" He stopping shaking her and his breath became labored. He gritted his teeth as a few tears escaped his eyes. His voice grew low and he lifted her upper body towards his own. Placing his lips by her ear, his voice was full of pain, full of need. "Come on Kate. Please wake up."

Sawyer looked towards the path. He could make it back to the hatch. He recognized the path back. Looking back down at Kate he nodded. She wasn't too heavy. Wordlessly he stood up and lifted Kate's limp body up. His injured arm pulsated and he had to grit his teeth even harder to avoid screaming in shear pain.

Sawyer looked at the path and back down at Kate. He supported most of her weight with his good arm and put his other arm under the backs of her knees. He took off at a run on the path again, the pain that surged through his entire arm almost completely blocked out by the importance, and need of getting her back to safety.

---

Jack heard someone at the door to the hatch. He stood up as Sawyer stumbled into the room, fear etched into his face. He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed Kate.

"Sawyer!" Sawyer looked at Jack, unable to find any words. Jack began to speak, wanting to know what had happened. He asked a couple hurried questions as he ran over to where Sawyer stood with Kate. Sawyer just looked at him. He heard every word Jack said, but it sounded as if Jack was speaking Korean. He couldn't comprehend a single word. Nothing got through to him.

Jack looked up at Sawyer, apparently expecting an answer. Jack's face held a look mixed with confusion and disapproval. Sawyer tried to explain, but noticed that his mouth didn't seem to work anymore. Jack reached out for Kate, and Sawyer backed up a step. Sawyer then blinked his eyes and took a couple of shaky breaths. He heard Jack say a few more things he didn't understand. What was wrong with the man? Didn't he know he didn't understand a word he was saying?

Jack reached out again, he placed lifted Kate's weight off of Sawyer and pulled her towards himself. Sawyer saw this all pass in slow motion, when it was, in reality, only a few seconds. Then, everything rushed back to Sawyer. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Including the pain. He let out a hissing noise and grabbed his arm.

"What happened Sawyer?"

"The path…" Jack looked at Sawyer and turned around, making his way to the bed, Sawyer followed him quickly. Jack laid Kate down and turned towards Sawyer again. "She told me she was going to make sure that the path was marked so we'd know how to get back. She said we could come back to camp as soon as the rain stopped…" Sawyer paused. "She didn't… she didn't come back." Jack crossed his arms as he listened. "Found her on the ground like that… had to… carry her back. Back to safety…" Sawyer looked up into the other man's face. "Back to you." Sawyer felt as if he'd torn his own heart out and stomped on it. Knowing that Jack was the only one that could help Kate right now killed him. He wanted to be the one she needed. He wanted to be the one she depended on.

But he wasn't. And that wasn't even what he really wanted, was it? Sawyer thought about this, before realizing Jack was talking to him again.

"…your shoulder."

"It's fine." Jack sighed. He turned around to Kate. "Can you go get Sun?" Sawyer just stood there, his eyes drawn back to Kate. Jack sighed. "Watch her, I'll go get Sun." Sawyer spun back to Jack.

"Watch her?" Jack nodded, obviously thinking Sawyer was crazy. He shook his head quickly. "I can't do that." Jack furrowed his brow.

"It's only…" Sawyer shook his head backing out. "I can't take care of her. I can't do it!" Jack stepped forward, but Sawyer turned around and ran for the door, terrified.

---

There, done. Please RnR.

Lotz a Luvz..


	6. Making a Mistake

Hey. Back. This is a shorter chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost

An advertisment. I made a new RPG forum. The url is: http/lostandcursedrp. join up and I'll give you cookies... ;)

---

Sawyer ran hard and fast. He had no idea what direction he was going in or where he was headed, but he wanted to get there fast. He stopped short when he saw someone standing in his path.

"Sawyer?" Sawyer just stood there, eyes not moving off the Korean woman. He was lost again, drowning. And he had no idea what this woman was talking about. "Sawyer?" Sawyer shook his head as he snapped out of his trance.

"Hatch… Jack needs you in… hatch." Sun opened her mouth to speak, but Sawyer had pushed past her and began to run again. She shook her head and decided to go find Jack.

---

Sawyer collapsed onto the sandy ground when he entered the beach. His chest heaved and sweat lined his brow. A few people stopped and were looking at him. It took him a few minutes to realize what was going on.

"What do you think you're looking at?" Sawyer growled and the people went back to what they had been previously doing. He stood up and dragged himself over to his tent. He collapsed on the bed and sighed.

"Sawyer?" Sawyer groaned and closed his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for visitors, he wanted to be alone. "Hey… um…"

"What?" Sawyer said harshly, turning around. He softened a tiny bit when he saw the started look on Claire's face. "Sorry." He mumbled, almost inaudibly. "Not been a good day." Claire pulled Aaron closer to herself.

"Ummmm… what uh… what happened?" Sawyer looked up at her, confused.

"What are you talkin bout Mamacita?" Claire bit her lip.

"Everyone saw you run out of the jungle." Sawyer groaned and closed his eyes. He couldn't let anyone see his pain. He was getting worse at hiding it.

"Yeah well… is that really a surprise in this place? Isn't it rather odd that more people don't run out of the jungle breatheless. I mean… "

"You weren't running from any monster." Claire bit her lip. "You should be with her Sawyer. Trust me, you'll feel horrible if you don't just stay with her." Sawyer shook his head.

"Who are you talking about Claire?" Claire sighed.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No I don't!" Aaron awoke from his nap and began to cry. Claire gave Sawyer a sad glance.

"She was there for you." Sawyer shook his head.

"I have no idea what you're rambling about…" Sawyer stood up. "And if I did, I would probably tell you that it doesn't matter. That I don't take care of anyone but myself." Claire shook her head and slowly began to back away.

"You're making a mistake Sawyer. One that you'll regret for the rest of your life." Sawyer watched as Claire walked back to her tent. His eyes were full of pain and he walked back over to his bed again.

But there was no sleeping now. Claire's voice was loudly echoing in his mind.

---

Alright. That's it for this chapter. Please RnR. (And join the RPG) (puppy dog eyes)


	7. A Fight in the Hatch

Ok, back with another chapter. Hope you guys like it.

Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

---

Jack sat back in his chair. He didn't know why she wasn't waking up. Her forehead was burning and she showed no signs of response to pain or anything. Sun had went to the garden for a remedy, but nothing seemed to be working.

"What's going on Kate? What do you need me to do?" Jack put his hands over his eyes. "There has to be something I'm not thinking of. There's a cure for this… I just need to know what the problem is." Jack stood up and kicked the side of the bunk bed. "Tell me what the problem is!" The order, though he was looking at Kate, was directed towards something else. Even he didn't know who it was for.

Jack heard the door open and close. There were slow footsteps and then the noise of someone sitting down at the computer. Jack wiped some sweat off of his forehead and walked out to see who was on button duty.

"Sawyer?" Jack moved closer to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Sawyer looked up from the computer for a second before looking back down. "What… it isn't your turn yet…" Sawyer shrugged.

"No, it's Claire's turn. But Kate's sick and she really shouldn't be around her…" Sawyer looked up at Jack again. "Less you wanna nurse the little guy." Jack shook his head. He couldn't believe that Sawyer could be sarcastic in the same room where Kate was lying on what could very well be her death bed.

"So you offered to take her spot?" Sawyer looked up at Jack.

"Just so happens I'm next on the list. So we skip Claire, no big… don't read into it too much." Sawyer went back to looking at the computer.

"You have well over an hour before the alarm goes off Sawyer." Jack lowered his voice, obviously dreading what he was about to say. "Why don't you just go sit with her? I can leave…" Sawyer looked up.

"Why would I want to do that Jack? I'm not her babysitter!" He clenched his hands into fists.

"Sawyer…"

"I'm not going to just go in there and sit around, that's not my style. You think I actually care about what happens to her?" Sawyer's voice got louder and and pushed back his chair, standing up. "I don't care bout nobody but myself doc. Why would she be any different then the rest of you." Jack looked down.

"I heard you, you know." Sawyer shook his head.

"I'm being loud enough. Less you got some problem with your ears boy I'd hope…"

"No Sawyer." Jack looked up, his voice back to normal, though it still held a tiny tremble. "I heard what you said when you had the fever." Sawyer felt his pulse quicken and his breath caught in his throat. He had no idea what he had said, but he figured that it couldn't have been good.

"And what's that supposed to mean Jack-o?" Sawyer's voice came out smooth and threatening. Inside him however… he was feeling far from either of the two emotions.

"Sawyer… you said…" Jack paused. He bit his lip and turned around. "You told me…"

"Told you what?" Sawyer wasn't sure if his voice had sounded as irriatated as he had meant for it to sound, or if he had let a hint of nervousness flow into it.

"You told me you loved her." Sawyer's heart lurched. He took a step back and his face showed all his fear. Jack turned around and noticed how different Sawyer looked.

"Sawyer."

"I don't know what kinda sick prank you're trying to pull on me boy but…" Sawyer gritted his teeth. "That just ain't funny."

"It's not supposed to be. You can't deny it. I heard you."

"Must've been imagining it then Doc, cause I sure didn't say anything like that." Jack shook his head.

"Sawyer…"

"Why would I say something like that? Girl drives me nuts." Sawyer had to keep himself from slamming his head against the wall. What he was saying and what he was feeling were normally two totally different things. But this was too much. He wanted to be telling Jack what he really felt. He wanted it to be true that Kate meant nothing to him.

"Don't even try to pull that type of…"

"Shut up!" Sawyer turned around and began to walk towards the door. "You got the button right?"

"No." Sawyer turned around.

"Scuse me?" Jack narrowed his eyes at Sawyer.

"No. I'm not getting the button." Sawyer took a step towards Jack.

"You trying to tell me that you'd let all the people on this island suffer just because you…"

"I'm not helping you run away Sawyer!" Jack clenched his fists. "Not from her."

"I ain't running away…"

"Then what do you call what you're doing right now?" Sawyer's voice grew deeper and his eyes got dark.

"I call it, trying to restrain myself from killing this islands resident hero." Jack shook his head.

"After all she did for you…"

"What is with you people? You actually think I'm going to go up to her, hold her hand and wait this out? Watch her die?" Jack looked startled. "Yeah, I know you think she's going to die. Otherwise there's no way you would tell me bout what I said." Jack shook his head.

"Sawyer…"

"You think she'll make it?" Jack was caught off guard.

"Well…"

"Do you think… she'll make it?" Sawyer's glare was challenging. Jack sighed.

"I don't know. It's not looking too good." Sawyer nodded.

"And you want me to wait here for her to die?" Jack shook his head.

"I can't believe you…"

"Well golly Doc… you know how I hate to disappoint ya." Jack drew in his breath. "But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to go. Cuz I got a meeting to get to." Jack didn't know what he was doing, or what had happened, but when he realized what was going on, he was standing in between a very ticked off Sawyer and the door.

"Get in there!" Sawyer shook his head.

"You givin me orders now Doc? You think you can tell me what to do?" Sawyer stepped up to Jack, his eyes dark and wild. "Move."

"You're making a mistake Sawyer."

"Oh yeah? Well…" Sawyer saw red and was knocked onto the floor. He shook his head and looked up at Jack, who lowered his fist, his face still twisted in anger. "You really wanna do this Jackie boy?" Jack shook his head.

"She doesn't deserve this." Jack turned around, closing his eyes. "And you know that." Sawyer was quiet. He stood up, avoiding eye contact with Jack.

"Get outta my way." Jack gritted his teeth and pushed past Sawyer.

"Fine, I've got the button. But I'm not doing this for you." He glared at the back of Sawyer's head. "I'm doing this for her. So you're nowhere near her. Since you obviously don't care what happens." Sawyer felt like lunging at Jack, wrapping his fingers around his neck, shooting him, stabbing him, suffocating him, and many other deadly attacks. The scene played out in his mind.

Never before had words from another man cut him so badly. There was nothing he cared more about in the world then her, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself, there wasn't any chance of him denying himself the pain of that knowledge at the moment. It was a shock to himself at how even his voice was when he replied.

"Gladly. I got better stuff to do then to hang out around here while you try to save your precious princess." Sawyer didn't bother turning around as he pushed out the door and ran into the jungle.

He ran as far as his legs would take him, a straight line into the jungle. He finally reached a tree and punched it as hard as he could. A scream of frustration and anger escaped his lips. His hands reached up to his face and scratched at his eyes. He wouldn't let the tears come. He wouldn't cry. He slid down the tree and closed his eyes. He sat there in an invisible cloud of self-loathing and banged his head against the tree.

---

What did you think? Please RnR!


	8. Dream Confession

Ok, so this chapter is veryshort. But I hope you like it all the same. And I'll try to make up for it next chapter.

Thanks for the reviews guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

---

Kate was running. She looked all around her, terrified of everything.

"I got better stuff to do then to hang out around here while you try to save your precious princess." Kate felt her heart shatter into a million tiny pieces all over again. She heard Sawyer's voice like an echo in a lonely cave. And Jack... he had said she was going to die hadn't he? Sure, not out loud, but that's what he was saying. She sobbed hard as as ran.

"No... someone... someone please... help me!" Kate tripped and fell to the ground. "Help me!" Her screams blended in with the sound of thunder and she lost control to the fear. Her screams for help simply became screams. Her whole body convulsed with her sobs.

"Kate..." Kate shook her head. It was Jack's voice. "Kate." Kate pulled herself to her feet and began to run again. "Please Kate... just..." The sky above Kate opened up and a downpour of rain came upon the lonely woman. "Just hold on." Kate closed her eyes and pushed on through the rain. "Please... just... can't you just tell me what's wrong? Just wake up and tell me." Kate shook her head and bit her lip.

"Not you Jack. It's not you. I need him." Kate stopped running and looked up at the unforgiving sky. "Why did you leave me? I need you! I can't do this alone!" Kate fell to her knees.

---

Jack put his hand on Kate's forehead. She was burning up. He grunted in aggravation and pulled back. Placing his hand over his eyes he sighed.

---

"What do you want Kate?" Kate closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She shook her head slightly, then looked back up at the sky.

"Sawyer." Kate looked ahead of her, to the place she had run. It was the waterfall, the one her and Sawyer had taken a few minutes of refuge at before she had been slammed with reality once again. Before she had seen the case. "I want Sawyer. I need Sawyer. I love Sawyer."

---

Sawyer pulled himself up to his feet. It was getting dark and he knew he needed to be headed back to camp. He sighed as he trudged down the trail he had created on his mad dash to get away. What really killed him was how Jack was right on every single accusation he had made. The thought of the doctor everyone on the island (including Kate) seemed to love, knowing his true feelings, was enough to make his stomach churn.

"I'll just go down to the hatch and check up on her." Sawyer shook his head. "No. I need to go to my tent and get some sleep." Sawyer paused. "Who am I kidding? I'm not sleeping tonight." Sawyer growled and ran his fingers through his messy hair. "But I'm not going down there. I won't watch her die." Sawyer groaned. "I can't watch her die." He stopped, looking around at the trees, as if he thought they were judging him. "Not that it really matters that much." And with a whole new level of self-loathing, he continued on the path he had created for himself.

--

Ok, that's it. Please RnR.


	9. Faith Lost

**Hey. Thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter. I have like, four chapters after this one done as well (forgot that I had it posted on this site) so I'll probably have the next chapter out tonight. The faster the reviews come, the faster the chapters come. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**---**

Jack's eyes opened groggily. He looked over at Kate. No change. He sighed, he hadn't expected her to be awake.

He hadn't left her side at all. It had been three days since she had been brought to him. Three days since she'd opened her eyes. Three days since he'd seen or heard from Sawyer at all. Everyone was staying pretty far away from the hatch. Seeing Kate like this was hard on everybody.

Jack stood up. She had even stopped tossing and turning the second night. She just lay there, not moving. She looked almost dead.

She was almost dead.

Jack walked out of the room, he needed some room to think. He needed to get away from that room. Away from her.

Sun looked up from the computer. She saw Jack walking into the room.

"Jack? Is everything alright?" The doctor looked up at her. He nodded in silence. "How is she?" Jack shook his head.

"No change." Sun looked back down at the keyboard as the alarm went off. She sighed, typing in the numbers.

"I'm sorry Jack." Jack looked at the door.

"I need to go. Get out for a walk." Sun stood up.

"Do you want me to keep an eye on her?" Jack looked at Sun with tears in his eyes. He looked down at the ground.

"Sure. You could do that." Sun saw the look on Jack's face.

"She'll be fine Jack." Jack nodded, not looking Sun in the eyes.

"Yeah... she'll be fine..." Jack walked over to the door and pushed out without another word. He got out into the woods a bit and sighed, looking back towards the hatch.

"Just like Boone was fine."

---

Sawyer opened his eyes and groaned. He pulled himself off his makeshift bed and stumbled over to the water. Kneeling down, he splashed some water onto his face and just sat there, staring at his reflection.

"How long are you gonna wait Sawyer?" Sawyer turned around to see Claire standing behind him, Aaron in her arms. He sighed, shaking his head, turning back to the water.

"Wait for what?" He stood up and brushed himself off. He still didn't turn towards her.

"Wait before you go to Kate." Sawyer growled. He had half expected Claire to walk away, but the girl was persistant.

"I ain't goin' anywhere." He looked back at Claire, then turned back around and started walking to his tent. Just hearing her name made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Sawyer... how can you act like this isn't killing you? How can you pretend that it's just another day when you know that she's down there, fighting for her life?" Sawyer shook his head, the girl sure knew how to get to him. But he wouldn't let her see that.

"Aw Golly Mamacita... I'm afraid I just don't get what you're trying to say to me..." Sawyer was sickened by his own voice. He hated this man.

Sawyer didn't hear anything, he turned around to see that Claire was shaking her head.

"I give up Sawyer. I just... I give up." He watched her walk away, baby Aaron balanced on her hip.

---

Jack walked through the jungle. He pushed past branches and stepped out onto the white sand. The sun still stung his eyes. He hadn't been outside since Kate got back.

He sighed, looking out to the ocean waves as they lapped onto the shore. With a troubled mind and heavy heart, he made his way to the water's edge.

"What are you doing out here?" Jack turned his head to see who had spoken to him.

"Sawyer..."

---

Kate leaned up against a tree. She had cuts and bruises covering her body and her clothes were stained with blood. She didn't remember much of anything that had happened to her since she got there.

She heard a noise to her right and she jumped, feeling for the first time, the tight ropes that held her arms together behind her on the tree.

"Kate..." Kate looked up.

"Wayne?" Her eyes filled with tears of fear and dread.

"Hey sweet cheeks."

"What... what's going on?" Kate's voice was frantic and terrified. She felt so much like a helpless child.

"A war... and the battle is just begining." Kate pulled on the ropes, but she couldn't budge. The man before her laughed. "It doesn't matter how this happens, in any case, I'm leaving the war with a prize." Kate cried out, but she was alone again, with no one in the jungle to hear her.

---

"Aren't you supposed to be with Kate?" Sawyer walked closer to Jack. Jack sighed.

"Why should I be with her? You aren't."

"But you're the doctor." Jack shook his head.

"Doctors don't treat dead patients." Sawyer turned to Jack. He felt tears spring to his eyes.

"Dead?" Jack shrugged.

"Might as well be." Sawyer felt anger building inside of him. He didn't understand why. Hadn't he just said that he didn't think she'd live? Hadn't he already pronounced her dead in his mind?

"What the hell Doc?" Jack shook his head.

"There's nothing more I can do." Jack shook his head. "She's gone Sawyer. Kate's dead." Sawyer stood up.

"Not yet!" Jack turned to Sawyer, as if he was just realizing how emotional Sawyer was getting.

"Like I said... might as well be. What the hell does it matter to you anyway? You don't care about her at all. You walked out on her three days ago Sawyer."

"You're the doctor. Go fix her!"

"I can't!" Jack screamed, they were had drawn a crowd now. Everyone who had been on the beach, or close enough to the beach in the jungle had gathered around them by now. "Kate is dead Sawyer! That's it! Plain and simple, she's gone!" Sawyer balled up his fist and brought it square upon Jack's temple. He punched the other man as hard as he could, sending him down onto the sand and into the water a bit.

"Damn you Jack!" Sawyer turned and pushed his way through the crowd, there were tears on his face now, but not many, he was more focused on his goal. He needed to get there quick.

Sawyer ran through the jungle and reached the hatch. He grunted as he pushed open the door.

"Jack..." Sun walked into the enterance room and froze. Sawyer shook his head. Sun nodded. "She's in there." With that, she walked to where he was standing. "I'll leave you here alone." Sawyer looked down at her and nodded. Sun smiled and walked out of the hatch.

Sawyer went into the room where she was. He looked down at her. She looked a lot worse then she had before. He bit his lip and walked up to her. Falling to his knees, he took his hand and brushed some hair out of her face.

Silently, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then brought his lips down to hers and lightly brushed against them. He pulled back and caressed the side of her face with his hand.

"Hey Freckles. It's me." He paused. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you." He brought his lips down to her ear.

"I'm sorry Kate."

**TBC**

**Please RnR.**


	10. Nightmare Connection

**Thanks for the reviews guys. As promised. Here's the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**---**

Sawyer leaned forward, his hand resting on her forehead, she was still burning up. He sighed and traced the outline of her face with his finger. Sliding over her freckles, he felt the dampness and warmth of her cheek.

Without saying anything, he lifted her up a bit and scooted back onto the bed. He sat against the wall and held her close to his body.

"Come on girl. You have to wake up now. You can't leave me alone again." Sawyer rocked gently back and forth with her. "Come back to me Kate." Sawyer gently pushed back some hair off her forehead.

A wave of dizziness hit him and he grabbed his head. Laying her down again, he noticed that her skin felt cold and clammy. He sighed, laying down next to her and wrapping his arms around her in hopes of helping keep her feeling comfortable.

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right here when you're ready to get up Freckles." His voice was soft and he pulled her close to his chest. Soon, his breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as he drifted off to sleep.

---

Sawyer opened his eyes groggily. Looking around, it took him a bit to realize where he was.

He was out in the middle of the jungle.

"James." Sawyer turned upon hearing his name. He felt shivers run down his spine and his eyes grew wide.

"Who… what are you?" The shadow moved a bit, circling around Sawyer. It seemed to be growling at him. He bit down on his lip until the bitter taste of blood entered his mouth. When it spoke again, Sawyer was silent. For once in his life, he was too afraid to move.

"I'm going to kill her. She will die, and soon."

"Kate…" Sawyer's voice was quiet.

"And there's nothing you can do about it." Sawyer's hands started to shake.

"I can get rid of you."

"This is a dream James. A vision. You can't get rid of me. And anyways, she'll be dead before you wake up." Sawyer gritted his teeth.

"No she won't. I'm not letting her go without a fight." The shadow laughed. It was the most haunting sound that Sawyer could ever remember hearing, he placed his hands over his ears, but the sound filled his mind still.

"You… you're in my head?" The shadow growled.

"Yeah. That's how I'm speaking to you… so you can't ignore me." Sawyer took a step back. "And you can't run from me."

"Leave her alone! What is this… some kind of sick game you're playing?" Sawyer's hands balled into tight fists.

"You'd honestly do this? Fight a battle you know you could never win for the chance to save her?" Sawyer glared ahead of him, fear gone, replaced with blind hatred.

"I'd die for her."

"Would you really?" Sawyer nodded, without a thought.

"I ain't no sap. When I say I'd die for her... I mean it." The shadow moved a bit, so it was no longer surrounding him, but straight in front of him.

"Then prove it. Prove that you would risk it all for her."

"How?" Sawyer stood up staight.

"The button. Don't press it."

"Excuse me?"

"The test can't begin until that clock goes to zero James. Let it go to zero. And then prove that you care as much as you say." Sawyer nodded.

"Alright.."

"If you hit the button. James... if anyone hits that button... she's dead."

---

Sawyer's eyes opened and he found himself in the bed with Kate again.

"Freckles..." He put a hand to her face, cupping her chin. She moaned a bit and took a long, deep breath, opening her eyes. "Freckles?" Kate turned to see Sawyer next to her and tried to send him a small smile. 

"Hey..." Kate's voice was hoarse, but there. And she was awake again.  
**---**

**There it is. Hope you liked it. Please RnR.**


	11. Watch the Button

**IMPORTANT NOTE!**

**The last chapter had only had half the chapter up. So I edited it. There's a lot more on it now. So please check that out before you read this chapter. Sorry for the mix up. (And yes. This chapter is really short. I didn't make the same mistake again.)**

**Thanks for the reviews guys. As promised. Here's the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**---**

"Mornin' Freckles, you have a nice little nap?" Sawyer said, smiling down at her, his voice going back to Sawyer, though it was watered down a bit from fear. Kate smiled up at him.

"How long was I out?" She tried to pull herself up, he sat up and helped her sit up as well. She seemed to teeter a bit. Sawyer reached out an arm and wrapped it around her midsection.

"A long time Freckles. A long time." Sawyer looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, terrified at how emotional this was making him feel. Kate noticed how quiet he was getting. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Squeezing it a bit, she caused him to look up at her and she smiled slightly.

"Hey, it's all right Sawyer. I'm right here." She saw the vulnerability in his eyes. Her hand made its way to his cheek and her thumb rubbed his stubble. He closed his eyes to her touch. When they opened again his hands went to the back of her neck, pulling her slightly towards himself.

Kate licked her lips as her eyes fell upon his. She leaned into him a bit, ready to let herself go.

"Sawyer?" Sawyer growled, hearing his name being called. Kate pulled back and blushed. The moment being ruined, he sighed. Making sure she had gotten her balance back, he slid his arm off her stomach and stood up.

"Yeah." Sawyer walked slightly towards the door. John Locke walked in and saw Kate was sitting up.

"She's awake now huh?" He smiled down at Kate. "Good morning." Kate nodded at John, not wanting to speak again yet.

"You lookin for something Dr. Clean?" Sawyer said, clearly annoyed, though Locke wouldn't know exactly why.

"I was wondering if you wanted me to take the button. Thought maybe you could use some fresh air." Sawyer's dream came rushing back to him.

"The button…" Sawyer shook his head. "I got the button."

"I can do it. Maybe Kate would…"

"She needs to stay in here for a bit. Don't you agree?" He said, rather roughly. "She just woke up. I got the button. You can go off and… hunt boar, or do whatever it is you do these days." Locke nodded.

"Alright… but I'll be back in a bit. Because you aren't taking two more button shifts." Sawyer nodded.

"Lookin' forward to it Gandhi." Locke walked out the door and Sawyer turned to Kate. She looked flustered a bit. He sighed. "You wanna stretch your legs or somethin Freckles?" Kate looked up and nodded. 

"Yeah, can you uh…" She paused. "Can you help me get up?" Sawyer smiled and reached out his hand, taking hers and pulling her to her feet. She wobbled a bit and Sawyer wrapped an arm around her stomach again.

"Careful Sassafras." He said, looking down at her. She nodded and he started out towards the kitchen area with her. Helping her sit down in a chair, he handed her an orange. "Figured you might be hungry." Kate smiled and took the offering gladly.

"Starved actually." Sawyer looked down at her. Her words coming back to him 'Be careful.' She had promised that she would be right back and she hadn't returned to him. He looked down at his feet and bit his lip. "Hey… you alright?" Sawyer looked up at her.

"Kate I…" That's when they heard the noise and the alarm went off. Sawyer didn't move.

"The button Sawyer." Sawyer still didn't move. "Sawyer come on. You told Locke you were gonna do that."

"I can't Kate."

"Yes you can." Kate looked at him. "It's 4, 8, 15…"

"No Kate… I'm not pushing that button…" Sawyer's face was set, but his voice showed that he was scared.

**---**

**There it is. Hope you liked it. Please RnR.**


End file.
